Angels Scream, Devils Cry
by lilbigEnano96
Summary: The world of Limbo is, for a lack of better terms, random without a master. It distorts, it redirects, and sometimes it even transports beings or objects-across time, space, or otherwise-without any indication…. Remake DmC continuity. Taking aspects from anime, manga, and the Rebuild films
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok ok...YES I'm using the Reboot's World, but hear me out will ya?**

 **To start, the world of DmC is interesting in it's own right, and truth be told, it fits with Evangelion's tone more-it's just overshadowed by the characters which, to put it bluntly, just suck...honestly I can't defend them even if I wanted to. BUT I can't be the only one that sees even a tiny bit of redemption in the new Dante (or Donte, whichever you guys prefer). Yeah he's an asshole and a douchebag NOW-even though it's SOMEWHAT justifiable once you think about it-but if we were to see more of him (which is highly unlikely), I'm pretty sure he'd start acting a lot more like Original Dante. Maybe not an exact replica, but something close to it once character development hits him properly.**

 **Long story short, that's what I'm here to try and do, now without further ado...**

 **Disclaimer:** **Everything written here is either property of GAINAX and Capcom. Basically I own nothing. With that being said, enjoy the show**

 **I:**

 **The Advent**

 **…..**

 **Mission 1: Dante's [Rude] Awakening:**

 **Click.**

The observation room was deathly quiet. On one side, two occupants looked towards the grisly scene inside the safety a control room full of monitors, computers, and an overfilled ashtray; the only other light source aside from the dimly lit light bulb overhead was produced by the many screens displaying information.

The blonde scientist watched from behind the thick glassed control center as a trio of colleagues examined the battered and gory body. Aside from the occasional blink, she appeared to be apathetic to a T.

Keywords being _appeared to be._

 **Click.**

One would easily assume that the scene before her didn't bother the normally stoic and aloof woman in the slightest. Maya Ibuki however, knew better. Her time working with the doctor taught her the subtle hints that revealed the older woman's true feelings she tried to surpass in order to appear formal and professional to those around her.

The almost invisible facial twitches as she watched the zoomed-in pictures of the body appear in the computer screen next to her, the slight wrinkling of her nose, but most of all, her urge to reach for another cigar, despite smoking her last one a mere ten minutes before. Never mind the haggard and sloppy appearance, at least for her usual standards.

It was obviously clear that the woman was disgusted.

 **Click.**

Truth be told, she couldn't blame her.

She now glared at man-if such a thing could be called a man-lying on the metal table, partly blocked by the three researchers examining it. In her mind, the faux blonde was still trying to make sense of it all.

He was tall and scrawny, yet not without a decent amount of muscle on him. His skin was unnaturally pale, at times she thought, chalk-white, but what caught her attention the most was his hair.

It wasn't ash-blonde or gray like she originally assumed. No, it was white as snow, with the sides shaven and the remainder forming a sort of Mohawk. She had chalked him up to be an albino, but then realized from the images taken when rolling up his eyelids that that wasn't the case.

His eyes had color, a cyan or greyish-blue iris.

His clothes were, as expected, in tatters. What used to be black jeans were now reduced to uneven shorts, ending just at the knee cap on one side while the other extended past the knee slightly. Whatever shoes he had worn before were gone now, leaving only his bare feet; the same could be said for the tattered mess that used to be the tank-top he had on, only being sustained by one strap. This left his scared and mutilated body on display.

She found it ironic that the one thing that remained visibly intact was the fingerless glove on his right hand, no doubt with the skin fused within.

As she glared at the gruesome magnified images on the scientist's monitor, her assistant gagged, quickly looking away. "Umm…Ritsuko-senpai, wasn't there…someone else who would do this?" she asked, trying her best not to empty her bowels right then and there.

"Unfortunately for us Maya, there wasn't." her superior replied, silently cursing herself for agreeing to this. She'd much rather be doing her own job and help get Unit-01 prepped for combat while the pilot arrived. She sighed, jotting down some notes before the speakers inside the room roared to life.

"Well, that's about as much information as we can get on the outside." one of the examiners reported, "He's in pretty bad shape. Aside from the external damage, we predict a fractured skull, a couple of broken ribs, and this," he held out one of the man's blackened hands as he spoke, "From what we've gathered, he's had these since his arrival."

The woman nodded, the look on her face not betraying her surprise. To think, this person was already injured when he attempted to-

"Should we start with the torso?" another of the men asked as he slammed a clear container of the tools for the autopsy on the table, shaking Ritsuko out of her thoughts. "Or would you prefer we examine the head f-"

"I've got a pulse!" the first cut off, practically dropping the blades and startling everyone in the room, "He's alive, but just barely!"

If there was any doubt about it before, that statement just killed it: The man lying on that table was anything but human. And this time, the woman didn't bother to hide her shock.

"Just what the hell is he?" she murmured to herself, a mixture of fear and slight awe in her voice.

"For starters, glad to be alive I'm sure." The blonde spun around upon hearing the voice behind her, coming face-to-face with an old friend.

"Captain!" the younger girl stood up, quickly saluting before turning back to her superior.

"Ah, Misato," she breathed, her voice was still stern but her posture relaxed significantly. Still, the woman allowed herself a small wary smile, "Fashionably late, aren't we?"

The tall, dark haired Captain wore her usual attire, consisting of a formfitting dark blue blouse that ended above her toned legs. On top of that, she wore a red jacket, the NERV insignia bared proudly on her left arm.

She smirked, playfully sticking out her tongue in a childish manner before extending her index and middle fingers into the peace gesture. "Hiya Ritsuko!" she greeted in her usual cheery voice, "Would've been here earlier, but I kinda got lost on the way here…". Before she could say any more, she glanced behind her, a slight guilty look on her face, "I almost forgot you were with me, Shinji-kun." She laughed, sweatdropping slightly. "Come on, she won't bite, much!"

Ignoring her comment, Ritsuko heard the shuffling of uneasy footsteps until a coy looking boy stood before her, slightly shaking and looking like he was forcing himself to stay in place.

If she had to pinpoint his age, he couldn't be older than 14. His greyish eyes and messy brown hair flickered a memory within the woman, one she couldn't recall at the moment. Contributing to his timid persona was his physique. He was thin, almost uncharacteristically so she realized. His clothes were also remarkably plain. Just a simple white dress shirt tucked into some black pants. Then again, from the files she'd read, this was to be expected of the Third. However, there was something else about him that caught her attention.

His eyes. They still held a glint of innocence in them. It was faint yes, but it was there. To her, this was little more than a miracle. It seemed that even the ruined world they were forced to inhabit couldn't rob him of that. Yet.

 _'He isn't one to cause trouble'_ , she observed, _'rather he's someone who stays out of the radar, and prefers it that way.'_

"So you're the Commander's son?" she asked, giving him a warm smile, "The famous Third Child we've been hearing so much about?"

She saw him flinch slightly as their eyes briefly met. "I-…..Yes." he gave a small, polite bow, still looking like a cornered rabbit in front of a snarling wolf.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Shinji Ikari." She extended her hand, which the boy glared at, unsure of what to do. Finally, after a long time, he gingerly took it and allowed the woman to shake it in a mostly one-sided greeting.

"Sure…" came his barely audible reply. She watched his attention shift towards the sound-proof room. Inside, the barely-alive specimen was being bandaged and cleaned by the three examiners who, judging by their delicate work, feared making him stir.

"Ka-Misato-san…is-is that the man?" he swallowed upon looking at the sorry state the body was in, but nevertheless continued to stare.

"Mmhmm," the dark haired woman nodded, stepping closer to the boy. Her peppy diameter was now replaced with a concerned frown despite the fact that hints of her professionalism seeped through.

"Has the subject experienced any change?" the blonde woman asked, rubbing her forehead with a sigh.

"Negative." Came the reply, "heartbeat remains unchanged. Shall we move him to the cells?"

"No, I want it placed in the infirmary after you run a full-body scan. Try and keep it alive for the time being; should it expire, you're free to carry on your investigation. Dismissed." With that, the men inside the room nodded, quickly loading the body into a gurney before beginning to carry it off.

"Geez Ritsuko," Misato glared at the blonde scientist with a raised brow, "do you really gotta dehumanize him like that?" her voice suggested she wasn't scolding her, but at the same time didn't agree with the terminology being used.

"I'd hardly call that half-dead _thing_ on the table a human, Misato." She retorted with an even voice as she crossed her arms. "Never have I heard of a human who survived free falling from the atmosphere, never mind standing up to an Angel without the aid of an EVA almost immediately after."

The Captain frowned, clearly biting back a retort. She glanced as the examiners wheeled away the mystery man with a sigh. "Shame, he was kinda cute too." She muttered to herself, "don't know about the hair though."

"You're not really that desperate, are you?" Ritsuko asked the younger woman in an attempt at a jibe, "I know your love life sucks, but you can't seriously be considering _that_."

"Who knows," the woman shrugged, playing along, "I might try and sweet-talk that Angel into leaving us alone by putting the moves on him too." She winked. An alarm suddenly ended their entertainment as the voice of the Vice-Commander rang throughout the facility.

 **"ATTENTION, PREPARE FOR GROUND-UNIT INTERCEPTION. THIS IS A LEVEL ONE EMERGENCY. I REPEAT, THIS IS A LEVEL ONE EMERGENCY."**

"Sounds serious," the Captain mussed with a frown, suddenly all business.

"Indeed." The blonde agreed, "It would seem the UN's efforts at halting the Angel's progress failed. Although credit is given where it's due; without their efforts, the two of you wouldn't have been able to beat it here."

"Better not keep it waiting any longer." She turned towards the boy, and motioned for him to follow, her features softening slightly.

Shinji had not been paying much attention, but silently followed upon realizing the three women were exiting the room now. He buried his face in the manual that he was provided, hardly paying attention to what he was reading as his mind tried to comprehend what he just saw.

It might have just been wishful thinking, but as they were rolling the half-dead man out of the room, he swore the bruises and cuts on his face were already starting to heal…

 **….**

The man was vaguely aware of what was going on around him, the numbing pain that irked his body was slowly being silenced at an agonizing rate. Around him he could hear voices, they sounded so far away, but in actuality, they were right next to him.

" _-Landed near the sea-"_

 _"-hurt the Angel without an-"_

 _"-Found something near him too…"_

What the hell were they saying? Maybe the injury to his head was worse than he imagined, but he was pretty sure what he was hearing wasn't in English. Though, he was knocked around pretty hard in a short span of time.

Human or not, that hurts. A lot.

He tried to flex his fingers, only for a fiery pain to run through his arm and causing him to grunt in discomfort. Thankfully, whoever was in charge of doing this had the mind to plug him into a mobile IV unit, the medicine numbing the pain of his scorched arms.

After some time, he gave up trying to concentrate his aching body, deciding that he'd wake up naturally, sooner or later. He wouldn't die-at least, that's what he hoped-and the full extent of his healing should kick in the minute he was fully conscious and focused again. When that time would be however, remained to be seen.

He tried recalling how he got in this mess in the first place, the memories however, were hazy and disjointed. The last thing he could remember clearly was waking up in free fall and the feeling of water embracing him in its cold essence as he sunk to the depths below.

After that, only an urge; an animalistic instinct to hunt and slaughter an eldritch entity that threatened the humans he vowed to protect.

He must've found and engaged it, because after that the pain started. With every hit dealt to him, he could slowly feel rationality come back to him. It was through the combined effects of his still unhealed wounds and the damage the monster inflicted that he slowly found himself dropping to his knees until finally, he collapsed on the ground.

There were only two witnesses at the scene, he recalled. One of them was a women, maybe a bit older than himself. It looked like her hair was dyed a shade of violet, or it could've just been the light playing a trick on his already overloaded body. The other was a boy.

He was feminine looking, so much so that he thought he was looking at a teenage girl at first. If he had enough strength to do so, the hunter would've probably laughed. And if he were a betting man, he'd probably say the kid acted as girly as he looked.

But that was all he able to register before his body gave out, forcibly shutting down to save his life. It was only a few moments ago that he had regained consciousness, and the first thing he noticed, besides that he reeked from disinfectant, was that the boy from earlier was staring at him.

Well, "stare" wouldn't be the right word to describe it, more like he was gawking at him. There was curiosity in his eyes, perhaps mixed in with a hint of awe; but the emotions were buried deep beneath a somewhat justified fear. He couldn't read anything else in the boy, but for some odd reason, the man found him interesting.

Finally, he felt the world stop moving beneath him and after a few seconds, he realized he was alone. Slowly, his left eye squinted open, closing suddenly as it was invaded by the bright light above.

After a few seconds, he began to blink until his vision was somewhat fixed. He winced as the damage to his body suddenly felt the need to remind him of its presence, but he knew he'd soon be rid of it.

Groaning in protest, the man forced himself into a sitting position as he took a shaky breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated, but not before glancing at his shaking and bandaged hands, the scorching had yet to heal completely. The pain that gripped him was now subsiding as he felt a familiar warmth being emitted from his upper back.

He sighed in relief as his strength slowly returned, taking a minute to examine his surroundings.

The room they left him in was bare and white with not even a few flowers to give it some life. Clearly, it was a hospital room just by the feel of it, he didn't need to glance towards the cabinets filled to the brim with medicine for confirmation. As a youth, he'd often be sent there and hated it with a passion, even before the truth was revealed.

To his side, a large window that practically took up the entire section of the wall showcased the already setting sun, the final rays setting light to the signs above doors and containers.

He glanced at them and did a quick double take, confirming what he was seeing.

It was all in Japanese.

He cursed under his breath, running a hand through the tips of hiswhite hair and stopping right at the bandages that encompassed his forehead.

He glanced at his still gloved hand. Right, that still needed to be taken care of.

Without hesitation he proceeded to tear the glove off, taking with it most of his right hand's skin. He glanced at the exposed muscles with a pained expression before clenching his fist and drowning out another swear. Thankfully, the healing process was already at work replacing the missing flesh anew.

It was at that point that the other presence in the room made itself known. It was an almost inaudible gasp coming from the farthest corner to his left.

Not only was there someone else in the room with him, she also appeared to be heavily injured. She didn't even have the strength to sit up, remaining on her back with her eyes focused on him.

She was a petite girl, a teenager by the looks of it. Briefly, the two locked eyes, and the white-haired man immediately took note of her blood red iris. Moreover, there was a lifeless look in her eyes, too dead for someone with such a gentle face as hers.

Her light blue hair also struck him as odd, yet she would probably think the same of his white top if circumstances were different.

When he realized she was wearing an extremely skin-tight white uniform that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, he turned away, an embarrassed flush coloring his pale face. Yet she didn't seem to notice or care, as the man still felt the mystery girl's eyes glued towards his direction.

The way she stared at him, analyzed him, was somewhat unnerving. Yet try as he might, he sensed no abnormality within her.

It took him a few seconds to realize that the healing process had finished moments ago. Yet as he began to undo the bandages on his left arm, the cry of a siren rang throughout the building. Even if he couldn't understand what was being said over the speakers, the white-haired man could sense an ominous presence in the air.

A growl escaped his throat as he realized what was coming.

"This guy just doesn't let it go, huh?" he mused to himself with a sigh. "Ok then, I guess I'll play with him some more…"

He stopped as he prepared to stand, glancing towards the blue haired girl. He opened his mouth to speak, but realized she probably wouldn't understand what he told her. He pointed to the ground with his uncovered hand, jerking the thumb of his other hand towards the door whilst shaking his head.

He sighed in relief when he saw a faint flicker of life in her dull crimson eyes, understanding shown within them.

With a small nod, he stood and threw open the door that lead to the hallways of the ward, intending on finishing what he started and kill the goliath.

But first, he needed to get his gear back.

 **…..**

The sea of rage that had once threatened to consume the boy quickly subsided as a cold fear began gripping every fiber of his being.

Unable to look at his father, the man who had caused him so much pain and now demanded the impossible from him, Shinji bowed his head in defeat.

"…..I can't!" he shouted in anger; his eyes betraying him and showing the crippling fear he felt. "I don't even know how to pilot that thing, yet you expect me to go out there and fight that monster?!"

He couldn't even face the metal titan bathing inside the pinkish liquid in front of him. Evangelion.

Despite its menacing appearance, this machine was evidently the only thing that could stand even a decent chance against the creature that descended upon them. "Humanity's last hope", the blonde woman had called it.

Even with the stakes raised so high, the thought of piloting it, of carrying that burden, was inconceivable to the youth.

"There's no way…This is insane…"

Simply ludicrous.

"Have someone explain it to you then." Came the Commander's cold reply from above the catwalk. He watched behind his orange tinted glasses as his son visibly flinched from the comment. "If you're going to pilot then hurry and prepare, if not, go home."

The way he spoke, so nonchalantly….almost like he didn't care. Did this mean then, that he wasn't needed?

The entire complex began trembling then, various warning were being issued over the intercoms of the facility, but the boy couldn't hear them. His mind was racing and neither of the options in front of him seemed desirable.

On one hand, he could leave, go back to the life he had before. In doing so however, he'd be damning this entire facility-no, the entire _city_ -and leaving them for dead. Then again, who was to say he was safe even then? He saw the JSDF throwing everything they had at that thing with no effect...even the mysterious silver-haired man couldn't do anything to stop it.

On the other, he could stay and man Unit-01. With that would come the responsibility of all the lives of these people, if he failed their blood was on his hands….He had zero combat experience and knew next to nothing about piloting anything. It was almost as if they were handing him over as a sacrifice to that thing.

Was that what he was to them?

He didn't get a chance to make a decision, his father's stony voice cutting through the rings of the alarm. "Fuyutsuki….call for Rei."

"Can we use her?" came the reply, whoever was on the other end held genuine surprise, and if the boy was hearing correctly, some reluctance to the idea.

"She's still breathing."

"I understand, Commander." The sound of the line going dead was quickly replaced by something resembling static.

"Rei…" the elder Ikari spoke again, his voice remaining emotionless throughout, "It seems our spare isn't up to the task. You'll do it again."

"Understood."

"Right then," Ritsuko barked after a few seconds of dead silence, "Switch the core unit of 01 to the L-00 type and reactivate!" with that, the blonde scientist and the somewhat hesitant Captain left the still trembling boy, beginning preparations for launch.

It was only when he heard the sounds of the sealed doors being opened that Shinji lifted his head. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Three medical personal began to wheel a gurney with a mounted IV unit, similar to the one that carried the silver-haired man away. On it was a girl around his age. She was severely injured, as evidenced by the many bandages that adorned her body and the subtle twitching of her limbs. Underneath that stoic mask, the boy knew she was fighting to keep the pain down.

Realization finally hit him as he watched the girl's futile attempts at standing.

' _She's….my replacement?'_ He thought to himself, a feeling of dread suddenly creeping up his spine, _'There's no way she can fight in this condition! If she goes out there she'll-'_

Another shockwave rocked the building, the explosion sounding closer than the previous. It was enough to cause the lights above them to flicker and for the stretcher that carried the blue-haired pilot to flip on its side, causing her to hit the ground with a pained gasp.

Without hesitating the boy ran to her side, the fear and panic that had overtaken him moments before were now shifted and reversed. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed before he could ask the most obvious question.

His eyes quickly darted between the partly submerged machine and the whimpering girl scooped in his arms. His eyes widened as he felt something wet coat itself in his shaking palm.

Blood. Fresh blood.

He felt sick, lightheaded, and he suddenly found it hard to breath. On instinct, he shut his eyes tightly, trying to suppress the oncoming panic attack in the only way he knew.

"I mustn't run away…"

He couldn't pretend this wasn't happening, couldn't escape it. This was reality….

"I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away…."

But if he left now, she would die in vain, and everyone here would join her soon after….

"….I'll do it."

And that was something he couldn't live with.

 **….**

"I'll pilot it."

The Commander let a small smirk slide upon hearing those words, not of pride but of triumph. His trump card had worked flawlessly.

 **….**

It seemed like an eternity, but Shinji was finally able to see the hatch that lead to the surface open. A blink of his eyes later, he was suddenly above ground again, the restraints on Unit-01 coming undone.

His breath was taken away as he gazed upon the city from inside the metal giant. The illusion however, was broken when his opponent noticed him. His heart threatened to burst through his chest as the abomination slowly began making its way towards him.

"Just concentrate on walking, Shinji-kun." The boy suddenly heard the voice of the blonde doctor, snapping him back to the task at hand. "Take it slow," she added, her voice calm, reassuring, "right now, EVA is an extension of you and you of it."

He nodded, willing the horned Evangelion to take a baby step forward. Although hesitant, the resulting impact of the step was enough to cause glass on the nearby windows to crack and the ground beneath him to quake.

"It moved!" From the communicators, Shinji heard Misato cheer with the rest of her team, while the doctor simply breathed a noticeable sigh of relief. "We can win this!"

Unfortunately, Shinji made the mistake of taking his mind off of what he was doing, causing the purple machine to come tumbling down face-first into the pavement.

Lifting his head, the boy finally had his first good look at the so-called Angel before him.

The dark-blue monstrosity was about as tall as Unit-01, easily towering over most buildings. Its limbs were elongated and misshaped, but his arms were exaggeratedly so, reaching past the things lanky legs that somehow held up its bulky body.

However, it was the creature's eyes that caused his blood to freeze in his veins.

It had no eyes, only two pitch black sockets in its bony, beak-like face. And yet, Shinji could feel it looking at him, sizing him up to determine how much of a threat he could pose. It seemed to make up it's mind as a bony hand reached down to grab the Evangelion.

"Get up Shinji!" came the Captain's frantic voice, but it was too late, the Angel had seized him.

It lifted its opponent in the air almost effortlessly, grabbing the machine's left arm with speeds that betrayed his earlier movements. The creature's arms began to bloat as he yanked at the arm with all its strength.

 **…**

The dark haired woman bailed her fists as the Third's screams of agony echoed throughout Central Dogma.

 _'This has to be done…'_ she mentally reminded herself as she forced herself to watch Unit-01 being manhandled by the Angel. That boy was quite literally the last hope they had at driving them back for good. _'I'm sorry, Shinji….'_

"Calm down," she attempted to relay to the distressed pilot, "Remember that's not really your arm!" She only received his continued screams as a response, which added to the already crushing guilt that weighed heavily on her shoulders.

 _'I'm so sorry…'_

"What's going on with the defense systems?" her friend demanded, her usual stoic diameter all but dropped.

"The signal's not working!" came her pupil's shaky reply; despite Maya's shock at what was going on in front of her, the Captain could see she was trying her hardest to turn it around in their favor.

She took a second to examine the rest of her coworkers in the command center. Aside from the Commander, who stood in the back like a looming shadow, everyone from Maya to Makoto Hyuga seemed stunned by the appearance of the Angel. Even Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki, who's probably seen his fair share of horrors, looked somewhat disturbed.

A sickening snapping sound drew her back to the monitors, her eyes widening in terror. _'Oh God…'_

"Left arm damaged! The circuits have been completely snapped!"

But the Angel didn't stop there. With its hand still grasping Unit-01, it began piercing the robot's face with a purple energy beam repeatedly.

"The armor won't hold out much longer!" Ritsuko warned, and sure enough, she had been right. The beam tore through the right side of the Evangelion's brain case soon after and pushed the helpless machine back into a large skyscraper effortlessly.

The machine went limp soon after, blood spraying from the wound.

It took all her willpower, but the Captain found the strength to steel herself. "Status!" she demanded over the whirling alarms, "someone give me a status report!"

"Unit-01 is rejecting any inputs, it's completely shutting down!"

"How's Shinji doing?" the woman asked as she turned her attention towards Hyuga, who wiped his sweaty brow as he read the life monitors in front of him.

"I can't get a reading on the pilot's vital signs!" the youth answered in a grim tone, "there's no telling if he's alive in there or not!"

The Captain clenched her jaw, the words of the lieutenant ringing in her ears, anger building up within her. "Abort the mission!" she hollered at the crew, "the pilot's life is our top priority!"

Before the order could be carried out, a loud boom was heard not too far from where they stood.

"What's going on?!" Ritsuko demanded, "Is the Angel attacking us again?"

"Negative!" the third technician, Aoba, reported. "The Angel remains stationary!" As the word's left his mouth, several calls from various NERV personal suddenly appeared on the sides of the screen.

 **"EMERGENCY! THE SUBJECT, HE'S LOOSE ON THE AREA!"**

 **"HIS WOUNDS! THEY'RE COMPLETELY HEALED!"**

 **"HE'S HEADED TO THE SURFACE!"**

Indeed, as the camera's refocused on battleground, the white-haired man was spotted atop the immobile Unit-01.

On each hand, a pistol: one midnight black, the other a deep silver, on his back, a greatsword that stood as tall as the wielder, and in his eyes, a burning, seemingly unrelenting rage.

The Son of Sparda had returned with a vengeance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Mission 2: You Do [Not] have to go home:**

Gendo Ikari was a man of extreme composure. Even at the direst of situation, the man remained as monotone and unaffected as a statue. Rumor had it that after his wife's demise, the Commander became unable to feel emotions.

Upon seeing the white-haired man standing proud atop the purple Evangelion with no visible injury however, he let out a light chuckle that did not go unnoticed by his second-in-command.

"He's come." The man noticed in his normal, impassive voice as he surveyed the scene with a glint of interest. "The Scrolls' predictions have come to pass yet again."

"Indeed." Replied the older man, a hint of uneasiness in his voice. Hearing that someone stared down an Angel was one thing, seeing it before his eyes however, was an entirely different experience.

The way he went he stood before the Messenger-nonchalantly, almost lazily-gave the impression that this wasn't a first for this man. It almost looked as if this was _natural_ for him.

"He heals at an accelerated rate similar to the Angels, carries a blade that rivals him in size, and he remains unimpressed as he stands before the Cover of God." The Commander observed, his folded hands obscuring part of his face. "There can be no doubt now."

The two older men fell quiet, watching the crew of Dogma stare in awe at the sight in front of them, oblivious to their conversation.

 **…..**

Dante blinked, his eyebrows knitting together as the tension in his shoulders all but disappeared.

He was standing on top of a machine-a gangly, horned purple robot that stood as high as the buildings surrounding him. Something that looked like it was ripped straight from a Japanese comic. He hadn't read much of them, but from what he did know, he assumed that either it was being remotely controlled or _someone_ was driving that thing.

Judging from both the wound and the amount of blood dripping from the titan's head, the later seemed to be the safest bet, and said person was either dead or seriously wounded. The hybrid liked neither of those options. However, that wasn't what frustrated him the most and caused his rage to take a nosedive.

Something was wrong, something was _very_ wrong.

The thing approaching him suddenly halted, slightly slouching and….studying him. It was sizing him up and seeing whether or not he was a valid threat, staring at the Son of Sparda with it's new face.

He on the other hand waited. Yet the dull ache that heralded a new threat spared him for once. Something that should be impossible, unless….

' _That thing isn't a demon. Hmm….'_

It sure as hell looked like one, and judging from how it stupidly glared at him, the goliath was possibly even _less_ intelligent than a Lesser Demon, which was the lowest of the low. Even those things were efficient when they set out to do something-or more accurately, were commanded to.

As he still pondered the situation, Sachiel seemed to already have his mind set as he resumed his advancement towards the downed Evangelion.

The white-haired man grunted, banishing his pistols back to whatever remained of his trousers and slowly reached and gripped Rebellion on his back. As his mind raced with ideas on how to proceed with this, the corner of his mouth found themselves turning into a grin.

He couldn't ignore the titan advancing towards him, it took immediate priority. That thing wasn't his usual quarry, but he didn't discriminate. Besides, the humans had already had their go at it.

It was his turn to have some fun.

 **….**

"Not even a scratch…" Misato heard her friend murmur under her breath, the normally stoic Dr. Ritsuko Akagi held bewilderment in her voice, obviously looking at the scene before her through a scientific angle.

That only served to heighten the captain's own repressed fears. Not only was this person capable of surviving a fall from the atmosphere, he _got up, shrugged it off, and wounded something that literally strolled through rows of N-2 mines and gunfire with zero injuries._

And now he was the only thing standing between the Angel and the GeoFront. The dark haired woman didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.

 _'He bleeds just like us and that thing up there….that means he can die, right? It's not like he's-'_

Then, resting the claymore on his shoulders, he spoke, bringing the Captain's train of thought to a screeching halt.

"English….An American?" She blinked, actually surprised by the revelation as she continued listening.

"What's he saying?" Aoba muttered from his seat, causing all eyes to suddenly zero in on Misato. She glared back at her co-workers, raising a questioning brow. International affairs had forced her to take on multiple languages, English however, was sadly the one she's had the least exposure to due the American's tendency to avoid working with them, save for when the situation was dire.

' _Good thing I'm not half bad in German…'_

"I know about as much as any of you," she replied with a sigh, crossing her arms, "And if I'm understanding correctly…" she frowned, taking a few seconds to process what she was hearing.

"I think-I think he's _mocking_ the Angel."

 **…..**

' _Let's see now…._ _Eryx? Meh. Osiris maybe? Naw, need something a bit more-'_

Dante's train of thought was interrupted as a Spear of Light was hurled towards his direction. Unimpressed, the demon slayer dodged with the barest minimal effort possible before shooting Sachiel with a crossed look.

"Well then, someone sounds ignored…." He crossed his arms, burying his blade within Unit-01's head gear.

In response, another projectile was hurled his way.

"Hey! I heard ya the first time asshole! Keep your panties on!" He executed a quick Drive attack, the invisible slash doing it's job of bisecting the violet beam despite the lack of power behind it. The attack sailed harmlessly passed each side of the Evangelion and it's unexpected passenger, detonating into two cross-shaped explosions behind him.

"That's badass! Wonder what'll happen if _you_ explode though….." The hunter stopped, snapping his fingers as his grin grew wider. "Aquila it is, you're ganna love this!" With that, he willed the Angelic shuriken to him, feeling the tattoo on his back glowing as Rebellion disappeared in a flash of light; a blue aura began dancing around him for a few seconds, coursing through his entire body before disappearing.

"Ready?" he began spinning the two ninja stars in his hands until they were a blur of blue energy on the otherwise pitch-black city. Proceeding to combine the two smaller stars, Dante ended up producing a larger projectile that was now giving out an audible ring as it hovered a few centimeters from his open palm.

"Head's up!" Spinning with audible sharpness, Aquila cut through the night sky, leaving a faint trail of blue as it sailed towards it's target. However, it didn't connect with the creature's skin as Dante hoped; rather it exposed Sachiel's defense mechanism: a hexagonal-shaped force shield surrounding it.

"Aw come on, I thought we were friends here! Open up to me at least a little!"

Suddenly, the wind seemed to gravitate towards the Angel, as what appeared to be a golden halo appeared above him. The hunter's smirk faded as his opponent leaped into the air, kicking signs, cars, and other objects below his feet due to the momentum.

Dante blinked, realizing Sachiel had just closed the distance between them. "Damn….so you aren't as slow as you look…."

With a screech, he swiped at the white-haired swordsman, who promptly moved to the adjacent building to avoid the attack, watching as the claws grazed the spot where he formally stood.

Through remarkable agility, the hunter dodged another sweeping hand whist launching three more shrunken blades; the AT Field slowly beginning to crack. Teleporting to avoid a point blank spear, Dante reappeared in a blue haze, perched atop a nearby tower like a stone statue.

"Yeah, you don't look too happy," he mockingly observed, a large, jagged battle-axe materializing on his back, giving off a blood red aura in stark contrast to the previous weapon. "In fact, you look pretty pissed off….if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to kill me just now!"

With that, he lunged, slamming Arbiter at the invisible shield. After a few hits, it was clear the demonic weapon had cut through.

If Sachiel was even remotely surprised by his last line of defense falling, he didn't show it in the least.

It did however, give him an easy opportunity to take a pot-shot at his opponent, sending him flying back.

A prolonged silence fell, the Angel remained rooted to the spot. The seemingly everlasting stillness was broken by three ear-piercing rings. Three consecutive Drive attacks slashed Sachiel in the span of a second.

The first came diagonally, damaging everything from the bottom of his face to the middle of his torso-specifically, the core. The second mostly targeted his right limb, claiming flesh from bone and causing rivers of blood to run down the giant's forearm. The final cut coasted Sachiel his balance, forcing him to fall on one knee and use his unscathed arm for support.

By the time the creature managed to register what had happened, Rebellion was already buried deep within the crimson sphere in his chest.

"Just wished we could've been friends." The still-healing hybrid tisked in false lamentation. He shrugged, discharging the pistols until the blade had completely lanced the core.

With a dying shriek, The Cover of God went out with a shower of blood, along with an enormous explosion shaped like a Celtic cross that could be viewed for miles on end.

"Huh, so that's what happens…..he added a rainbow."

 **…..**

"-And when the calamity falls from the heavens, the earth shall quake with fear." The monolith of SEELE 05 recited from memory in a deep rasping voice.

"For wherever Lucifer walks, Hell will surely follow in His wake." SEELE 01 finished for his comrade. "You are sure then, that this man is the one, Ikari?" Video feed from both encounters with the Angel suddenly appeared in front of the Commander.

"The Scrolls are still vague," SEELE 04 reminded him with a growl, anger evident in his dry voice, "Who here is to say this anomaly is the one it speaks of?"

"Without doubt." The Commander stoically replied, adjusting himself in his chair. "The conditions of his arrival mirror what has been foretold and Sachiel has fallen by his blade with little to no effort on his part. He can be no other."

"Then we must be wary," SEELE 03 broke the silence that had descended upon the committee, "There are many things that are within our grasp, the swordsman and his actions are not. The Scrolls do not go into detail of his role within the Scenario. He may be more of a nuisance than a useful asset."

"Engaging him directly however, is the equivalent of suicide at this time." SEELE 01 pointed out, "That being said, we cannot allow him free rein. We must know his whereabouts, particularly when the Messengers decide to strike."

"And what of Unit-01? The activation test was a success, but the astronomical sum it needs for repairs is staggering to say the least." SEELE 02 mused.

"It is of little importance," SEELE 05 reassured, "though unexpected, it will be mended by the time the Fourth Angel looms over us. Both the Third Child and Unit-01 will play their parts that day as they did today."

"Indeed. You must insure that Lucifer does not interfere with the upcoming battle." SEELE 01 commanded him.

"You needn't be concerned, the hunt for the Morning Star is underway as we speak." Gendo reassured. "Everything will go according to SEELE's plan."

 **…**

Shinji awoke with a start, his heart still beating in his chest. It was all the proof he needed to confirm that despite everything that had transpired, he was still alive.

He took a deep breath, examining his still trembling hands as his breathe slowly returned to normal.

 _'How did I survive…'_ he thought to himself, running circles across his palm, _'And what happened to that thing? Does it mean I somehow won? But then…how?"_

He tried recalling what happened after he was thrown back by the creature, the phantom pain that steamed from his eye threatened to return. In the end, it didn't, and he could remember nothing except a strangely warm sensation, almost like a warm gust of wind flowing through him.

He sighed, although he was unsure if it was from relief at being alive, the probability that he screwed up his one chance somehow, or both. Either way, he let himself fall lightly on the hospital bed, content with just listening to the birds chirping loudly outside.

"I feel sick…" he murmured to himself, realizing that he could still taste and smell the strange liquid he was submerged in while piloting EVA.

It was cold and it had a metallic taste, almost like blood.

"That's normal." a reassuring voice promised, "first time's always the hardest, you'll get used to it in no time." Turning, he found Captain Katasuragi standing by the ajar door, a relieved look on her face "I came as soon as they told me you were stable," she offered him a warm smile, "how are you feeling, Shinji-kun?"

"F-fine," he replied, noticing that his clothes were folded neatly on a small stand next to him. Now he realized why he was still somewhat cold despite the thick blankets on top of him.

"That's great to hear," she chirped, "well, the doctors said you're free to check out now, so I'll just give you time to change into your clothes before we head home, kay?"

The boy blinked, he must've heard wrong just now. "Excuse me….d-did you just say 'home', as in…"

"Home. As in _our_ home. From this point on we're roomies, you and I!"

To say Shinji was stunned was an understatement. He wondered what he'd done to deserve this kindness…or was it pity? Yes, that had to be it. "Mi-Misato-san, I-I don't understand…You don't have to do this you know, I m-mean, all I've done here was worry you and…"

 _'Fail.'_ He wanted to say, but for some strange reason he couldn't. It was like the word was stuck in his throat, trying desperately to get out. "….I couldn't even do the one thing I was needed for right…so, I'm sorry, Misato-san."

There. That would suffice.

"What are you talking about?" she asked with a tilt of her head, her voice suggested she truly didn't know what he did wrong. "You did fine out there, there's no need to apologize."

"B-But…but I couldn't even pilot EVA correctly…" he insisted, "I couldn't even hurt that thing once before I got knocked out…" _'And I was afraid the whole time…'_ he added mentally.

"Shinji, do you remember exactly what I told you to do?" she asked him, leaning off the door and stepping closer, her hands on her hips.

"Get inside the EVA…" he answered weakly, unable to meet her gaze.

"Exactly. Not only did you do so, but it _worked_ Shinji. Even with you as the only one physically able to pilot it, the chances of Unit-01 activating were practically nonexistent." Misato watched as the boy ceased his trembling slightly, yet resolving to not look at her.

"I'm not Dr. Akagi nor the Commander, I don't expect you to instinctively know your way around the EVA. Things like that take time, so I won't penalize you for it. You took the first step yesterday, now you just have to build on it, right?"

The boy nodded, slowly finding the strength to look up at his commanding officer. The woman in turn gave him a grin. "See? Now enough of all that, let's get you outta here."

 **….**

"Ehh?!"

The dark haired woman smirked, it was always fun to see the always-serious Ritsuko completely lose it. "Yup, Shinji-kun's staying with me, I already got permission and everything."

"Misato, you can't just do something like that so suddenly!" the woman chastised on the other end of the line, "Besides, wouldn't it be better for him to move in with the Commander?"

"Will you relax Rits?" the Captain sighed sarcastically, "I mean, it's not like I'm ganna be putting the moves on him….yet. He has to settle in first and-" The woman was interrupted by her friend's screaming voice, causing her to hold the phone away from her ear and almost swerve off the deserted road. "Geez lady, can't you take a joke?"

"Considering I could never tell when you're joking…." Her friend huffed in retort.

"Seriously though, the Vice-Commander kinda agreed that putting Shinji with Commander Ikari was a bad idea. He's said it was natural for father and son to be living apart from each other at this point…"

"I can see his reasoning," Dr. Akagi mused, more to herself than to Misato. "I'll leave you to your work than. Just try not to do anything rash."

The woman sighed, hanging up the car's built-in phone. Her gaze shifted towards her new charge, who glared back with a light blush on his features. "What's wrong Shinji-" she stopped herself mid-sentence, putting two and two together. "Oh _that_ ," she smirked, "I was only teasing Shinji-kun. _Maybe_ in the next ten years, but as of right now, you're too young for me." She winked at him before seemingly concentrating on the road again.

That seemed to put him at ease and also gave Misato some time to look over him through the corner of her eye; he looked less anxious than earlier yet far from being at peace. If she had to take a guess, it had something to do with that run in they had with the Commander whilst exiting the Geofront.

Right away she could sense the hurt coming from the boy as he averted his gaze from his estranged father. The way he glared at them-cold, pitiless, uninterested-sent chills down the Captain's spine as she practically saw the anger that resided in both the Ikaris, each for different reasons. It ended when the elevator door closed, only then did the boy visibly relax.

 _'Well that's one thing we have in common…'_ She thought glumly, ' _daddy dearest isn't on the top of our lists…'_

"Misato-san,"

Her thoughts were interrupted by the boy's voice, the first time he's used it since stepping inside the vehicle. "That…..thing father wanted me to fight….what was it?"

"That," she began explaining, her usual cheery voice fading slightly, "is the very reason NERV exists: to exterminate the Angels like the one you saw."

"Angel?" the boy sounded confused as he knitted his brows.

"That's right, though they're angels in name only," she continued, "honestly whoever came up with that moniker probably wasn't thinking straight."

"I guess…did NERV manage to beat it then?"

"We have our white-haired friend to thank for that," the woman griped, not missing the shocked look in his eyes, "as well as the damages to HQ _and_ some of the buildings on the surface." she sighed in exhaustion, "some hero he was! I can already see the mountain of paperwork I have to fill out because of his recklessness!"

Shinji didn't notice her new guardian's whine, more interested in the events that had happened while he was out cold. Before he could question further, he was forced to hang on for dear life as Misato made a sharp turn towards the nearest exit.

"I forgot! We need to make a couple of pit stops before we get home, otherwise we'll sleep on empty stomachs." She said this in a sheepish tone, masking her hidden relief of avoiding the previous subject.

The fact that her nails where digging into the steering wheel's fabric was not lost on her. Shinji however, failed to notice.

 **…..**

It smelled of decay, of death, and everything was in shambles, dust and cobwebs littered every available space, and the excuse for a bed had been ravaged by vermin and the passage of time. In short, any sane man would've complained about the living conditions, but to be frank, Dante had seen worse.

It would have to do. For now at least.

The entirety of Tokyo-3 was bugged and constantly monitored. If NERV wanted to know of any of the going on's in the place, they'd only need to check their eyes and ears across the City. Omniscient and omnipresent by every definition of the word.

But nothing in this world is perfect, and even most efficient of systems had its flaws. Everything was monitored yes, but this luxury did not extend towards the handful of old building too demolished to be of any use…

Which was exactly where he was currently stationed at.

Out-of-the-way, practically in shambles, and with room for him to maneuver in case of an emergency. Perfect.

The Son of Sparda groaned, finally giving up on the notion of sleep, sitting up on the lumpy worn out couch. He rubbed his eyes and stared as the final rays of sunlight left the earth. After a few seconds, he dropped once more, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above.

To say he was exhausted would be an understatement; after all, it wasn't every day where he was dogged relentlessly by the military with a persistence that rivaled that of the demons that hunted him. In other words, irony at its best.

He didn't even know why he attempted to sleep, that was a privilege that had been long since denied. Considering everything that he'd been put through in a short amount of time-from falling out of the sky to being the target of a manhunt that lasted until the early hours of dawn-at least an attempt at resting was in order.

It helped that he had a decent view of the city from his vantage point, for the notion of discovery never left the man. It was only after much thought that he decided to continue to wait before seeing for himself if it was finally safe to be out on the streets.

Conflict is the last thing he wanted with humanity. He did declare he would protect them from any threat after all, and if it meant fleeing rather than fighting then so be it.

He blinked, chuckling to himself as the notion replayed itself in his head like a maddening mantra. A little more than a year ago he honestly didn't care what happened to the humans. Heh, a year ago, he wouldn't have thought like that. He would've probably let them all die from that monster's wrath if he was in a particularly foul mood.

"That monster I fought…..just what the hell was it?" he muttered to himself with knitted brows, taking his gaze off the moldy walls and staring, not as the oncoming twilight, but towards the city in front of him. The buildings now stood tall, taller than when he glanced at them the first time if he was seeing correctly.

His mind must still be overworked. There was no way the buildings could just _appear_ at random like that…great, now he was getting off track.

Besides it being by far one of the weakest beings he had faced so far, the creature was also one of the first that _didn't_ have anything to do with the war between Heaven and Hell.

It might have resembled one, but that thing was no demon. At least he was sure of that. Years of being at their "mercy" had made identifying one particularly easy for him. In fact, seeing as the Earth was practically covered by the thin veil that was Limbo, it was almost a necessity in order to survive.

And that was another thing. Try as he might, Dante could not sense anything that resembled a demonic entity around him, not in the city, or anywhere past that for that matter. Limbo, it had seemed, had not tainted this place for quite some time.

No traces of demonic propaganda, of otherworldly beings bending and twisting the mortals and their desires to their will….

He frowned as realizations hit him like bullets. He had only seen glimpses of the world unraveled from Limbo, and it hadn't been pretty. But this…this wasn't the work of demon rulers secretly controlling the area with their influence, _something else_ had destroyed this place long ago.

He stopped himself from overcomplicating things at the moment, feeling the beginnings of a headache creeping up on him, something he didn't need right now. Then again, the last thing on his agenda was a head splitter in it of itself.

He _knew_ he was somewhere in Japan, in fact, the only damn word that wasn't written in kanji and clearly in English was "Tokyo", ironically scrawled on one of the neighboring buildings. Since he had nothing else to go by, he assumed he was in the aforementioned place. That meant getting around was going to be hard, if not near impossible.

"So…I crash land halfway across the world, get hunted down by the military, tango with…whatever the hell that thing was back there….oh, and as if I didn't have enough obstacles in my way already, I can't read or understand jack shit….Gee, you couldn't have picked another place to throw me at could you?"

He sighed after a minute of silence, cursing the demon bastard who sent him here in the first place.

 _'At least those people are safe…'_ He thought to himself, soothing his anger somewhat. _'With me and that thing outta the way, the paramedics down there ought to take care of any injured.'_

He glanced at his gloved hand, eyes falling towards the stained bandages that had previously clung his body. He sighed upon realizing the sorry state his clothes were in.

"Need some new clothes…" he mumbled to himself with a scratch of his head, priorities set. "Hopefully I can find something my size lying around somewhere. Not like anybody'll miss it or anything."

He shrugged, beginning his scavenger hunt with what he claimed as "his" dressers, soon moving onward to the neighboring apartments when nothing came up. At least now he had something to do other than sit around.

Elsewhere in the base of the building, a woman and her newest charge stepped out of a vintage blue Renault Alpine with groceries in hand, completely oblivious that they had acquired a new tenant.

 **…**

 _'No preliminary report, no evaluation test….yet the Third Child's here with us just in time for the Angel's attack. And he's not just any random kid off the street either, he's Commander Ikari's son…'_

The woman was lost in thought as she sat in the warm tub. She had meant for this to be a time of respite, where she could unwind after the exceptionally stressful day at work. Yet the questions she had been pondering all day today wouldn't give her peace.

 _'Despite everything, we defeated the Angel, and the casualties were minimum-all things considered. To top it all off, his synchronization rate was at 41.3%, the highest so far in first-time synchs according to Rits. Why then do I feel so….uneasy with all this?'_

She frowned, knowing exactly why the tugging feeling in her conscious continued to twist and turn like a knife.

Shinji.

Even as she praised him this morning, a part of her still saw him as more a tool than anything else. She had praised him, not as a friend, not as Misato, but as _Captain Katasuragi_.

And now she'd let him into her life. She wasn't sure whether this would end up being a mistake or not.

The young NERV captain had never had experience with children, in fact, she wasn't even sure if she _wanted_ children. A husband, yes, but if she were to be honest, she'd admit she wasn't ready for even _that_ responsibility. Shinji's reaction to seeing her disastrous lifestyle outside of the facility spoke for itself.

"I wonder how long I can keep up my happy act…." She mused to herself, watching the ripples her hand made as she gingerly dipped two of her fingers into the water. "Fake it 'til you make it, Misato."

After making her decision, she stepped out of the bath and fetched two clean towels to wrap herself in.

Stepping into the hallway, the woman glanced at the now practically spotless kitchen. It was amazing what that boy accomplished in just half an hour.

The table now stood bare, when before it was littered with beer cans, old paperwork, and trash from her late night dinners that consisted mostly of instant ramen. Even when Shinji had had his first official dinner, all Misato had done was move everything off to the side.

The cooking area was also much more organized, one quick peek confirmed her suspensions: Shinji had taken the liberty of washing the dirty dishes that had piled up faster than her paperwork, as well as organize them in the rack next to the sink. The floor was also swept, and she noticed two trash bags, filled to the brim and ready to be disposed of, standing by the doorway.

She was honestly impressed, unable to recall the last time her living space was this clean.

 _'And he would've done more, had I not send him to his room'_ she thought to herself, heaving a low sigh, "looks like we've both had a rough day." She muttered to no one in particular, marching to her own dorm. She stopped as her hand gripped the slid door's handle, turning her head towards the now occupied room to her left.

"Shinji," she called hesitantly, unsure if she was disturbing his much-needed and much-deserved sleep, "I'm opening the door."

She found the boy sprawled on his mattress; the green backpack that contained most of his belonging was on the ground a few inches away from him, most of its contents spilled to the floor. The woman was surprised to find that he didn't just hit the hay the minute he stepped into the room, for his white dress shirt and black pants were neatly folded on a corner of the bed.

She blinked, half forgetting why she decided to enter the Spartan room in the first place.

"I forgot to tell you something. It might not look like it, but you did something admirable today. Something not many would do if given the choice. You should be proud of yourself."

' _I know I am…..'_

"Hang in there Shinji-kun. I'll see you in the morning."

With that, she closed the door and heaved a heavy sigh.

' _That….that wasn't so bad….'_ She told herself mentally. He might have been unconscious, but maybe, just maybe, some part of him was still listening, hearing the sincerity in her voice. That would be enough.

"That was good…wasn't it?"

 **...**

 **A/N: I personally don't like how the fight with Sachiel turned out...much better than what I had originally written out but still...ah well, insecurities aside, hopefully it didn't leave too much of a bad taste in y'alls mouths.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Before we begin, I want to say thank you to everyone who decided to give this thing a shot, yes, even those of you who just clicked on this for curiosity's sake-especially since these beginning chapters are somewhat dry. Hopefully I can provide decent entertainment for you guys as this picks up.**

 **Special mention goes to EvaShinobiKaiserKnight for the feedback waaaay back in chapter 1, really** **appreciate** **it.**

 **This chapter was originally split into two part...then I decided that the pacing wasn't cutting it and so, this became the end result.**

 **...**

 **Mission 3: Fight for [Your] Redemption:**

 _'Concern. A state of anxiety or worry usually directed towards a person's wellbeing_ …..'

The First Child faced a dilemma, something that had plagued her for nearly two weeks now.

Confusion.

On the surface, Rei Ayanami looked impassive, as if she was just letting time pass her by without a care. The blue-haired girl was always like this, and frankly, it unnerved many of her classmates.

However, the avoidance was a blessing, for no one paid her much attention and generally kept their distance. Her crimson eyes staring pensively out the large window next to her as she tried to sort out the unpleasant feelings within her.

This sensation that stirred within the pilot was alien to her, along with a range of many other emotions that other people usually took for granted. It was irritating to say the least, but she found that getting rid of it was a daunting task. No matter how she analyzed it, she could not make sense of the situation.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as the droning voice of the elderly Sensei faded more and more into the background. Piece by piece, the information she had gathered was coming together like a puzzle.

The white-haired man-whom Commander Ikari was quick to label as "Lucifer"-was an enigma, much like herself. What he was, where he came from, his gripe with the Angels, and more importantly, his goals-those were all variables, unknown to the Commander and perhaps even to The Committee themselves.

Perhaps the only thing that was known for certain was that he was strong. _Frighteningly_ strong. Such terrible fury could not go unrestrained, as EVA had proven time and again. Both could potentially cause innumerable consequences, in especially towards long term goals. But EVA was bound to their will, a machine made from Man's image.

EVA could be controlled. This man however could not. He was-as many in the Bridge Command labeled him-a "wild card". An unknown variable, in other words; yes, that she could understand. The risks were too high, and he, too unpredictable to be left to his own devices.

But even as she was thinking this, a stray thought probed her from the back of her mind; a thought that went against the Commander's jurisdiction, against her basic programming. But it was there, just like the confusion that was slowly overtaking her:

' _Were the Morning Star's actions a simple display of instinct, or was he actually genuinely concerned for them?'_

The origin of the blasphemous thought dangled over her like bait, tempting her to follow the memory and explore it further. Before she could push the thought away, it was already replaying before her eyes, forcing her to comply.

Many would believe that this creature was against the already struggling human race, such as Dr. Akagi, the Commander, and perhaps to a lesser extent, Captain Katasuragi.

Rei would go so far as to argue against that thesis. After all, they had not seen what she saw.

The infirmary.

When they had locked eyes for the first time that day, she thought-no, _knew-_ she saw concern in the cyan orbs that otherwise held a deep-seated anger within them. Then, as he was leaving, a hint of relief radiated from his eyes.

Relief. A pleasant sensation immediately followed by the removal of a stress factor. Something an enemy would most defiantly not show in their presence.

Lucifer. The name of the highest of Archangels and betrayer of God. A name given to a being that fell from the sky and bares strength that surpasses that of Man. A name that _should_ imply that he is their enemy. By all accounts, the aforementioned emotion should be as foreign to him as it is to her.

…..And yet, he has shown to contradict both implications on more than that occasion.

The swordsman's first fight with the Third Angel immediately came to mind, as precise as the recordings presented to her during the aftermath of its destruction.

He had fought the Angel with a reckless, almost animalistic intellect that mirrored the Messenger's own. Indeed, the hunched posture, his movement, coupled with the snarls and growls that escaped his throat truly earned him the term that Dr. Akagi insisted on using to describe him.

And those piercing blood-red eyes…..so very much different from her own….those were not the eyes that greeted her hours later.

A cold sensation began running down her spine, yet the blue-haired child did not shudder.

Nevertheless, even in this primitive state, he didn't attempt to attack the JSSDF in the area. In fact, she'd go as far as to say he was _avoiding_ direct contact with them. One would assume it was due to the Third Angel's presence, but no…it couldn't be….

' _If he does not value the lives of the humans fighting beside him….why didn't he eliminate those that opposed him as he battled the Angel?'_

Predatory instinct. The simple fact that a larger threat was present at the event pressured the Morning Star to focus on Sachiel rather than the task force. It had been almost miraculous that the Angel had managed to render him unconscious before he turned his attention towards the JSSDF.

That was what was told to her, and Rei knew it was a very poorly formulated conclusion. She would have believed them however, had she not been present beside the Commander when the soldiers out hunting him returned unscratched-all of them.

Their weapons were spent, their prey was lost, and more than likely, their pride had taken a hit, yet no signs of struggle was evident on any of the men.

These were not the actions of a creature driven by animal instinct...these resembled the actions of a thinking, breathing man.

Human. The last thing he could possibly be.

He had shown concern towards her wellbeing, something that only The Commander has done. He had ignored the task force sent to destroy the Angel, even when the gunfire was directed towards him, then let the small squad that chased after him live.

Footage from one of the bases outside cameras even caught him attempting to pry out Unit-01's Entry Plug before the JSSDF arrived…

Pilot Ikari….she had not forgotten what he did for her.

Rei broke her gaze from the sky just beyond the window and spared a quick glance behind her. He sat close to the front, completely isolated from the others; a small island where he could collect his thoughts and not have to worry about direct confrontation.

He was uncomfortable, she noticed-indicated by the uneasy glances he threw across the room, and the fact that he was clutching a battered, old cassette-player almost as if his life depended on it. Perhaps it was an item that brought him comfort, reassurance?

Yet two more words she knew about, yet never experienced….

Rei tore her gaze away from the Third Child, choosing to focus on him and push the questions that gnawed at her aside for now. Another memory dragged her away within her subconscious; thankfully this one was less ambiguous for her. Easier to understand.

This time it was the holding cages.

She remembered seeing the distressed look on his face, a sea of conflicting emotions within him. He tried to hide them, but the blue-haired girl read him like the pages of a book:

Sadness, anxiety, doubt….

Fear.

Fear of failure, fear of his Father, and the most evident, the fear of EVA.

Then, as the pain that accompanied her fall coursed through her body, she saw him react.

She watched as the boy swallowed his emotions, steeling himself as he raced to her side and carefully cradled her injured body in his arms. She saw it again. Fear.

He had shut his eyes tightly, and for a moment, she thought he would burst into tears or have a breakdown. But he didn't. Instead, he recited something under his breath almost like a prayer, tightening his grip on her slightly with each passing second.

When he reopened his eyes, she realized she was looking at another person. The timid Third Child, Shinji Ikari, had disappeared for an instant, replaced by Commander Gendo Ikari.

As he stared down the partly-submerged metal monstrosity, the boy knew what he was getting himself into. He knew he was being sent out there with unwinnable odds, and most importantly, he knew he would probably not make it back in one piece.

Yet he accepted those outcomes without hesitation, if only for the meniscal chance that he would somehow succeed and others might live.

And yet, when they had met again in the medical wing, Rei had noticed that, his former resolve all but vanished, reverting him back to his former persona. That got her thinking again. Was the bravado he exhibited a one-time occurrence, or a peek at the boy's true potential?

They would know soon enough.

She had felt something in the winds stirring, as if a dark omen of some kind was warning them of what was to come. The Fourth Angel was preparing to strike, she was sure of it.

She was not ready. Although she was on the way to steady recovery, her wounded eye still irritated her slightly and her bandaged arm was all but useless at the moment, handicapping her use of Unit-00 even further.

This time, there was no guarantee that Lucifer would intervene. There was no way around it: Unit-01 and its pilot must be ready to fight.

 **…..**

Something was looming over the pacific at a surprisingly even speed, its crimson colored body bathing in the sunlight. Below it were two forelegs similar to a mantis's, and behind that stood a structure that resembled a ribcage, the many bones from within twitching frantically as if anticipating its arrival.

Nested within them was a pulsating core.

Shamshel, the Angel of Dawn had descended upon the earth.

 **….**

The Third Child sighed, watching the clouds above him as he lay sprawled on the school's rooftop. The music from his S-DAT player blasted in his ears, allowing him at least some peace as the world around him took a backseat.

Ignorance truly was bliss.

Although still largely intact, the awkwardness of being around Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara had faded somewhat after the two insisted on eating lunch with him (well, Kensuke did anyways). That in of itself was a relief to the boy, who felt the metaphorical noose loosening slightly around his neck.

The real surprise however, came with the realization that his two classmates knew nothing about his involvement as a pilot.

At first, Shinji believed the guilt of being at least partly responsible for the damage caused would give him away. Instead, the two boys seemingly overlooked it due to his nervousness, and the fear of losing whatever meniscal ground he had made faded. Let them believe the Japanese military destroyed the Angel, he decided.

 _'Is this what having friends feels like?'_ he suddenly wondered to himself; he supposed so, seeing as he had nothing to compare it to thus far. The closest thing would have to be his relationship with the man that used to care for him before coming here.

In truth, Shinji knew next to nothing of him other than the fact that he lived isolated in solitude and knew one of his parents personally, offering to take care of him upon his father's request. Although even saying that was questionable.

He wasn't around much, always away on some kind of "job" or "errand", which left the boy fending for himself. Shinji did keep himself busy, in large part because his caretaker had plenty of things from the Old World; so entertainment-and to a lesser extent, education-was not a big problem. Due to the location, however, socializing was.

No letting anyone in, no leaving save for rare cases. That was the most important unspoken rule between them. Over time, he began to hate the place that quickly became both his sanctuary and his prison.

He paused, realizing how off-track he'd gotten with his thoughts. Nevertheless, he at least got something out of letting his mind wonder a bit:

"I'd rather be here than go back," the boy told himself, "even if I have no idea _why_ I'm here." With his decision made, he sighed, focusing more on the music in his ears as it slowly lulled him to sleep.

It was a shame the tranquility had to end.

After a few seconds, he felt another's presence beside him. Opening his eyes, Shinji was slightly taken aback by the sight of Rei Ayanami looming over him.

"Emergency Summons." She spoke just as Shinji had taken off one of his earpieces, continuing to shot him with an impassive stare. "I'll go on ahead." She informed him before swiftly exiting towards the stairs in a brisk jog.

The girl's monotone voice sent chills down Shinji's spine. A moment later, his brain processed what she just said. "Emergency….Hey, doesn't that mean…"

The cries of the sirens overhead answered him. Angel Attack.

 **…**

Captain Katasuragi stepped out of the lift and marched over to her post, annoyance clear on her features.

' _Persistent aren't we?'_ she thought to herself, frowning as she glared daggers at the image of the airborne Shamshel slowly making its way towards the city. It was one thing to bother her during her already hectic schedule; however, this Angel had the nerve to intrude on her much-earned nap.

Simply put, she wasn't going to let that shit slide.

"Blue Pattern confirmed!" Dr. Akagi straightened, turning her gaze towards the Captain, "There's no doubt about it, the Fourth's knocking on our doorstep."

"Gee, you'd think it would've been nice enough to give us another fifteen year break like the last one…" Misato muttered, chuckling mirthlessly as she crossed her arms. "Shame, the Commander's missing all the action. All personal, battle stations level one, now!"

The three bridge bunnies immediately nodded, beginning the transitioning of Tokyo-3 to battle configurations as per orders. Sure enough, the groaning from the contracting buildings could be faintly heard overhead, a sign of the various artillery weapons being readied and loaded to the surface.

"Districts 1 through 7 have been successfully retracted and government officials have been notified." Maya breathed, eyes never leaving her screen as she spoke.

"Target continues to advance," added Makoto, "ETA currently unknown, air defense systems currently operating at 48%."

"And the civilians?" the Captain asked, glancing towards the long haired lieutenant from the corner of her eye, who was currently busy with a call.

"Reports indicate that all non-combat personal are just finishing the evacuation process." Aoba responded with a quick glance at the monitor. "That was the Japanese Government on the line, they requested we prep the Evangelions and have them ready to mobilize should the blockade fail."

The woman's frown deepened, "Oh we'll mobilize, whether they ask us to or not." Orders be damned, she decided; everyone in the room, and even some of the higher ups in the JSSDF, knew perfectly well that the only thing _specifically_ made to deal with a threat like this was EVA.

 _'Yet, they still don't give us the necessary funds for these things. Instead they go to…'_ She sighed after a few seconds, glaring at the now armed Tokyo-3 from the main screen. "This is just a waste of taxpayers' money…it's not even going to put a dent on that thing."

"Even so, there are some people in this world who need those bullets to be fired." She heard Ritsuko reply in a sagely tone. Misato momentarily shrugged off her bizarre response, turning her full attention to the next issue at hand: pinpointing the whereabouts of her pilots.

"It appears Rei's already made it inside." The long haired technician commented as an audiovisual of the First Child quickly legging it to the EVA hold cells was brought up.

That comment caught Maya's attention. "Wait, we're going to sortie Unit-00?" she asked, eyes wide in objection. "It's too risky," she protested, turning from her mentor to her subordinates, "the pilot hasn't even fully recovered!"

"Wait a minute…" Makoto blinked, narrowing his brows at the footage in front of him, "that's the express train docking, who's- Is that, the Third Child?"

 **…..**

 **"LCL oxygenized, releasing airlocks."** A nameless bridge technician reported, followed by more calculations that were promptly blocked by Unit-01's pilot.

Shinji gulped a lungful of the now transparent liquid as he let out a sigh, uneasiness clear in his face.

Here he was again.

He rubbed the side of his neck uncomfortably, the red rimming of his plug suit tightly encircling it.

It was almost exactly like the one he had seen Rei wear during the botched attempt at replacing him, albeit tailored to his frame. The light chest plate encasing him was light blue in color, contrasted by the rest being of a darker shade.

Overall, he thought the two colors complimented each other nicely-his only gripped steamed from the fact that the thing was practically depriving him of the oxygen-rich liquid surrounding him.

Then again, it was miles better than having to dirty another one of his uniforms. After three washings, the damned scent of LCL stubbornly remained on the shirt he arrived here with.

He breathed, trying to steady his shaking hands as they gripped the control yolks for all they were worth. Finally, he relaxed, closing his eyes as he tried to answer a question he'd been asking himself since he set foot inside the Entry Plug:

Just what was he doing?

He feared the Angels as any rational person would, and after being narrowly killed by one on his first day, the thought of fighting another of those things was absurd. And yet, that fear paled in comparison to the one he held for the very thing in which he sat.

It was no secret that he was afraid of EVA and he made no attempt to hide the fact, frequently voicing his uneasiness of the machine in his guardian's presence at every opportunity available.

However…

When all was said and done and he was inside Unit-01, he also felt….surprisingly at ease.

Even now, Shinji could feel his nervousness slowly eroding away, the lukewarm liquid sooth his worries away like a warm embrace from someone cherished.

It was here, in the calm before the storm that he felt most secure.

Even so, the ironic comfort could not silence the question nagging at the back of his head.

 _'Why am I even in this thing again?'_ he thought to himself glumly, _'Who am I kidding, I'm no hero….yet I'm risking my life for this city again….but Father's not even watching this time, so what's the point?'_

He wouldn't get a chance to dwell on the subject, as Dr. Akagi voice suddenly filled the cockpit.

 **"It's time to mobilize. Are you sure you're ready, Shinji-kun?"**

He took a deep breath, finally opening his eyes. "Yes." He replied forcefully. In truth, he was anything but.

"Listen to me," the woman instructed from within the command deck, doing a quick once-over to ensure all the systems were running smoothly, "Once you neutralize the enemy's AT Field, fire a volley using your Pallet Rifle. It'll be just like the simulations so don't fright, you'll be fine." With that, she handed communications directly to Misato.

"I'm still surprised he agreed to pilot again after what happened," Maya mused aloud, "most people wouldn't give running a second thought…"

"Most people _have_ the choice of running away," Aoba reminded her with a sigh, "As sad as it sounds…"

"To meekly obey what others tell him, that's how this boy makes it through life." The doctor replied matter-of-factly, not noticing the surprised look on her subordinate's face nor the cold glare her friend shot her.

The Captain swallowed her retort, the last thing she needed was to start an argument _now_ of all times.

"Launch!"

 **…**

The streets of Tokyo-3, once bustling with activity, were now deserted and lifeless. The sirens and instructions that followed shortly caused all it's citizens to scurry towards the nearest shelter and away from the soon-to-be-battleground.

Except for two that is.

Climbing towards the top of a steep hill were two teens; one wearing a distinctive black track suit and the other the standard uniform, a camcorder clutched in his left hand.

"I can't believe you talked me into this…" the taller teen growled, lagging behind slightly to catch his breath.

Toji climbed the stone steps leading up to a cliff overlooking the city, lightly jogging in order to keep up with the animated Kensuke.

"I can't believe she actually fell for it!" the spirited teen replied in an almost sing-song manner. The jock growled, the looks of horror shot at his direction when he insisted rather _strongly_ on going to men's room with Kensuke was all he needed to know that they'd probably never let him live it down-in particular the class representative.

As Toji mentally cycled through the various means his friend would redeem himself if they lived, he caught sight of the old shrine that signaled their arrival.

"Man," he huffed, stopping to catch his breath at the summit, "you're really persistent when it comes to something you want…"

The military-crazed teen smirked, shrugging nonchalantly as he set himself where the view was good. "Lighten up Toji," he replied, motioning for him to get closer, "this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"

"Lighten up?! We could get our asses killed out here!"

"Better than being a sitting duck back there." He retorted as he turned the camcorder on.

The taller teen opened his mouth to reply, but closed it a few seconds after. As much as he'd hated to admit it, Kensuke had a point there. "What the hell didya need me for man, you could've easily gotten out here by yourself!"

"Someone had to pick the door's lock…."

"Don't go making me look like some kinda convict here!"

"Shush, it's starting!"

Toji flinched upon seeing the Angel of Dawn rise to a vertical position, its forelegs unfolded and fixed at awkward angles, while the armored head was now bent forward like some sort of spore. But while the jock was undeniably terrified, Kensuke didn't seem fazed by this at all, as if the idea of that monster charging through all of their defenses unscratched was as typical as the ever-present summer weather.

He could only imagine what it was like facing that thing head-on…

The creature's exposed ribcage twitching animatedly as it seemed to be scanning the area for something. The bones stopped when something caught its attention.

"There, on that platform!"

From a nearby skyscraper, Evangelion Unit-01 stood stationary while the safeties were being released and a second building arose next to it, containing what looked to be an oversized assault rifle.

Seconds later, it activated, stepping out from behind the building with the weapon in hand. Holding onto the trigger for dear life, the purple behemoth emptied the rifle mindlessly at the Angel once it was in its sights.

Dust soon covered the area, the empty bullet casings damaging the cars and shops below Unit-01-who was still squeezing the trigger, as if that was going to somehow make more ammunition sprout out the muzzle.

That was when Shamshel chose to retaliate.

Pink whip-like energy tendrils suddenly lashed out at the metal giant, knocking the rifle out of his hands and causing it to fall unceremoniously to the ground with a loud thud. The attack had also cut clean through the building next to it and burned of the machine's fingers.

"Crap! That thing's already getting trashed!"

"It'll be fine," Kensuke assured almost absentmindedly, causing Toji to frown. The military had failed royally, and now their last hope for survival rested with NERV and that oversized tin can that already had one strike against it…

 _'Do you not see how high the stakes are?!'_ the taller teen thought to himself, ' _This military obsession's ganna be the death of you one day you moron!'_

Never mind the fact that, if half the crap that he told him was true, a living person was inside that thing, risking his skin for the entire city…what they were doing right now was damn near suicidal!

But what could anyone do when even the most advanced military arms was the equivalent of a splinters to that thing?

Nothing. Nothing but watch on and hope.

 **….**

' _What the hell is he doing?!'_

The Captain gritted her teeth in frustration. When Ritsuko said it'd be just like the simulations, she was pretty sure she didn't mean literally _just like_ the simulations.

"Is it ready?" she asked with a hint of urgency, the faux-blonde nodded just as Misato went back to the boy. "I'm sending you a spare rifle! Take it and try again!"

The Evangelion remained motionless, fixed in a sort of kneeling position as the Angel began to slowly advance towards it.

"Shinji? What's wrong, Shinji?!" He turned towards Aoba, wordlessly stating her command. An image of the terrified pilot soon appeared, his hands trembling at the controls and his eyes desperately looking for an escape.

 **….**

Shinji was petrified, eyes wide in terror as the monstrosity now hung over him, the energy whips crackling and waving by its side.

In that moment, he realized he was alone….

The white-haired man wouldn't come to his rescue this time around…

And he'd probably die here too, a failure that couldn't even do one thing right…

Was it really such a bad thing?

Was it really….

NO!

' _I can't…die here…..'_

SURVIVE!

' _No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!No!'_

Against all possible reason, the boy found the will to roll out of the way just as the glowing appendages were inches away from the machine. The three simple words repeating themselves in the back of his mind like a broken record.

For someone that had resigned to his fate moments before, the Third sure was hauling ass, trying to widen the distance between the Messenger and himself as much as humanly possible. His opponent however, wasn't about to let him escape so easily.

Unlike his predecessor, who was more simple-minded and driven almost purely by instinct rather than intellect, Shamshel understood it's mission- albeit extremely vaguely. It understood what it came here to do, and that failure meant a similar fate to Sachiel's.

It also understood that during the mission, there would be obstacles that needed to be removed. Such as the purple machine that currently attempted to outrun it.

Unleashing its fury, the Fourth Angel slashed almost blindly at Unit-01, demolishing any and all buildings in his wake. Yet somehow, the Evangelion miraculously avoided each hit at the nick of time.

However, Shinji's luck didn't last forever.

A burning sensation overtook his left leg as one of Shamshel's whips latched onto the EVA's own, effortlessly bringing him down to the ground. The boy began to squirm, putting forth his best effort to free himself from the iron grasp….

Before he felt himself being lifted into the air like a rag doll.

Effortlessly, the Angel began swinging the metal giant in the air, slamming it into the building in front of it before brutally dragging it back towards him and finally tossing it aside like a discarded toy.

After a few seconds to reorient himself and letting the dull ache on his back pass slightly, Shinji blinked several times as he watched the bubbles within the breathable liquid dance around him. Admittedly, he had forgotten he was submerged in LCL, but that wasn't the most pressing issue at the moment.

The countdown timer started at him in fiery orange letters. That meant that somewhere during the struggle, the cable feeding him energy had been cut. What's more, time was already damning him; at best, he had only a good three and a half minutes until the machine would go silent,

He mechanically opened and closed his hands. Grass all around him. No, _trees_.

He could hear Misato barking orders, but her voice seemed so far away and his ears were still ringing.

His eyes widened as his gazed fixed itself on two cowering figures inches away from Unit-01's massive fingers.

Toji and Kensuke…..

He jerked his head upwards, watching as the Angel approached him in its flight form. He shot his hands up instinctually as the being attacked, catching the tendrils before his classmates were caught in the crossfire.

The boy bit down on his tongue as his grip tightened, the pain in his hands becoming almost unbearable.

Two minutes, twenty-five seconds.

 **"-them into the cockpit! Once they're safe, fall back to HQ and we'll start over, got it?"**

Soon, the boy felt the Entry Plug being forcefully ejected, then everything suddenly went dark.

"Ga-What the hell?! Water?!"

"The camera, the camera!"

"Never mind that you-"

Both boys stopped their quarrel when the lights of the cockpit suddenly sprung to life again. They were safe, and now he could continue this with no worries. Shinji would've sighed in relief had it not been for the pain he was enduring.

With great effort, the EVA pushed the airborne monster away from it, slowly getting to its feet.

Toji blinked, unable to accept what he was seeing. "Ikari?" he muttered in a dumbfounded tone. His voice was overshadowed by a female's that crackled over internal communications.

 **"Good, now retreat to the side of the mountains and head to Extraction Route Number 34!"**

Yet the boy remained where he stood, his numb fingers trembling from the phantom pain.

"Yo transfer kid," he shook the boy after getting over the shock, a nervous edge in his voice, "didn't you hear, they're tellin' ya to run!"

One minute, ten seconds

No….he couldn't run. Not yet. Not when there was still a chance….

"I mustn't run….I mustn't run!"

The metal giant reached for one of the pylons on it's back; the protective gear on it's hands all but gone, exposing the flesh within. Gripping the great knife, Shinji often wondered how a measly thing like this could be the preferred tool when dealing with an Angel. Sure, it was state-of-the-art and could cut down to the molecular level, but when you got down to it, a knife was a knife; the last weapon he would trust in taking down anything the size of buildings.

Guess it was time to put it to the test…

 **"What are you doing?! Shinji, follow my orders and-"**

Fifty-nine seconds.

With the Evangelion now on its last legs, its pilot let out a roar of rage and charged.

 **….**

"That idiot…."

Misato's cold gaze intensified as she glared at the image of Unit-01 recklessly racing downward towards the Angel-now back in it's upright stance; the small droplets of blood running in-between her fingers all but ignored.

 _'Now you decide to attack it?!'_

The captain narrowed her eyes, watching as the Evangelion was impaled in the abdominal by both of the tendrils, staggering back and seemingly going limp a few feet away from it's target. She was about to issue the order to sortie Rei and Unit-00 when she heard the boy's screams again, watching him bury the Progressive Knife in the Angel's core.

"Unit-01 only has 30 more seconds before it goes dark!"

Maya's countdown was hardly heard over the chaos within the aforementioned machine, coupled by the sounds of warning bells in Dogma itself. Shinji wouldn't have heard her, and yet he must have known that his power was running out for he began digging the Prog Knife deeper into the crimson sphere, the sparks created by the vibrating blade intensifying.

The Angel on his part tried desperately to free it's limbs and escape, never realizing that it's fate was sealed and that all the struggle was in vain.

Then, at the final seconds of the machine's life, the core shattered and Shamshel faded into oblivion.

 **…**

Within the dark Entry Plug, Toji's mind raced as it tried to connect the events that had transpired in such a short timespan while his gut resisted the urge to empty it's contents.

They were alright for the most part, and that thing was dead.

The new kid was a pilot for NERV…

The new kid, Shinji, whom he thought of as a complete wimp, just _killed_ something that shrugged off everything the military threw at it.

 _'That means…did he kill the one that came before this guy too?'_ Before he could open his mouth to ask him anything, Toji stopped himself.

For perhaps the third time that day, he felt like smacking himself. To add to that, a shadow of guilt began to loom over him as he glanced at the clearly agitated pilot. Not only had he naively shoved some of the blame involving the accident that injured his sister towards him, but much like NERV, the jock placed unrealistic expectations on him-even if for just a few moments.

The sounds of labored breathing ceased.

Shinji had felt the Angel's blood stain Unit-01's face as it's core burst-the last sensation he felt before the power had been drained and the two separated. The savior of the city was now reduced to an oversized paperweight for the moment, frozen in the same posture with its front still pierced by the opponent's tendrils.

The boy's body trembled as he buried his face in his hands; his quiet sobs echoing inside the otherwise dead Plug.

Why was he crying?

Was it joy because he was happy to be alive, the realization that he _could_ have died, but didn't? The pain he still felt all over his body?

…Or was it because that, even in victory, he managed to screw up?

As much as the boy wanted to figure it out, he pushed the thought aside and let the tears fall, with only his schoolmates as witness.

He sobbed harder once he felt Toji's hand grip his shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

**Mission 4: Escape, [Nightmares], and capture**

For the first time in months, Sparda's son finally found sleep.

And yet, even as he began to drift off with at least a tidbit of confidence, he could feel a foreboding sensation overtake him…something he knew all too well. The dreams were coming to haunt him again. He almost wished he hadn't given up being a junkie; at least then, he'd be too numb on the stuff to care about seeing the more brutal parts of his shitty life being thrown into his face again.

And yet, this time around it wasn't his mother, nor his childhood, nor Vergil….to an extent, it wasn't an unpleasant memory either, and most importantly, it was recent….

The last thing Dante's overtaxed brain was able to register were the sounds of singing Cicadas inhabiting the space around him. He would have spared them a thought of annoyance, but his exhausted body gave in then.

Back to where this mess was started in the first place…

 **…**

 _Up until this point, Dante was pretty confident in his swordsmanship. Years' worth of survival and a fondness for firearms eventually paid off and granted him the means to fight back against the fiends that enslaved mankind even before he began to truly grasp his otherworldly powers._

 _For what it was worth, all of that eventually lead him towards the mastermind of the illusion and gave him the vengeance he'd dogged tirelessly for years as a bonus._

 _Looking back though, everything before that point wasn't something he couldn't handle. Be it Mundus's propaganda machine or his mistress and heir, they were never much trouble. In fact, he could only recall ever feeling like he'd drop dead any second on two occasions: Once was with Mundus's elite bodyguard Drekavac, the other was against the demon emperor himself._

 _And then he ran into Alastor, Lord of Lightning._

 _After seeing this brute stand before him unfazed by everything thrown at him, the demon hunter wondered why Mundus didn't just sic this one after him and be done with it._

 _The reptilian looking demon stood about a head taller than Dante-and if that wasn't enough to differentiate from his typical target, it not only sported a sword that rivaled his Rebellion in size, it looked more like what you'd expect a demon to look, not wasting his time on masquerades._

 ** _"Unskilled yet strong,"_** _he commented in a gruff, electrified voice, resting the enormous sword on the ground in front of him as lightning crackled around his dark blue scales. **"You lack in experience, yet you managed to survive this long regardless. Interesting."**_

 _His opponent just shrugged, silently thanking whatever deity responsible for giving him a short respite from the fight. "Yeah well, kinda helped that your kind kept trying to take me outta the picture for some time and all." His trademark claymore materialized on his back as the hunter let out an exaggerated yawn, "So lemme guess, you're ganna try and avenge that scumbag Mundus and every demon bastard I've cut down so far, am I right?"_

 _A loud, booming laugh was the last thing he expected as a response._

 ** _"That useless being? Why should I care if he lives or dies?"_**

 _Dante blinked, raising his brow in genuine surprise. "So wait, then that whole thing about you serving Mundus was just you bluffing then?"_

 ** _"I dutifully served the Demon Emperor as an enforcer and agent of his will,"_** _He scoffed then, narrowing his crimson, slit-like eyes, **"Then, he grew weak, merely hiding behind the powers of the Hell Gate and Sparda-the sole general who chose to remain when my brothers and I deserted the delusional fool."**_

 _"Well shit…that explains a lot, actually."_

 ** _"But I am curious…your kind has not walked the earth in Millennia…."_** _So saying, he redrew his sword from the earth, pointing it at the hunter. **"Show me the power of both Heaven and Hell then..."**_

 _Dante's reflexes suddenly kicked in, allowing him to narrowly miss the demon's blindingly fast swipe towards his jugular._

 _He tried stepping back, testing out Ebony and Ivory and sending a torrent of demonically generated bullets towards his opponent while he thought of something, anything, to turn this around in his favor. The beast didn't even flinch as he continued his advance, taking every bullet as if they were small pebbles._

 _'Gotta love that healing factor…' He thought to himself drily._

 _His Overdrive failed, as the slab of steel clashed with Rebellion as quickly as its wielder blinked, causing an eruption between the two._

 _Creating distance was definitely something he wouldn't be trying again._

 _Due to the shockwave disorienting him slightly, Dante struggled to see where the blows were coming from, but miraculously, was able to block all of them, if only barely._

 _'Damn…too fast!'_

 _Being forced to stay on guard, Dante could hardly keep up with his opponent, who was wearing his guard bit by bit._

 _'So our strength is more or less evenly matched….' The hunter summarized, breaking off the locked weapons and giving himself at least a second of breathing room. 'His speed's the only reason he's got an upper hand.'_

 _His eyes widened when he realized Alastor had seemingly vanished._

 _Gripping Rebellion with both hands, he frantically began to search the area, sending out quick Drive attacks whenever wisps of electricity caught his eye._

 _Suddenly, Dante felt as though several weights had been slammed on his back, propelling him to the ground and causing the structure underneath him to break from the impact._

 _He relished those couple of seconds that allowed him to heal at least some of the aching before he performed Stinger, following quickly with Million Stab as soon as the blade made contact._

 _However, even the demon slayer's signature move proved all but useless, as his opponent quickly recovered, catching the blade with his right hand before the final thrust and responding in kind with a head-butt._

 _Finally a strong kick knocked the wind out of him, sending him tumbling to the ground whist Alastor wiped a speck of blood from his forehead._

 _Behind him, the swordsman could see the fury that was Limbo in the form of an endless vortex, steadily eroding the tower in which he and his opponent stood. He'd have to finish this quickly, otherwise Kat might not have enough time to find a safe way for him to return…._

 _He knew he couldn't play defense forever if he wanted to survive._

 _His opponent regarded him with a looked that veered towards a mixture of boredom and contempt. **"How disappointing. You fare well against the vermin imprisoned here on Earth, but when faced with a true warrior, you can narrowly stay standing after a light beating."** The thunder demon raised the sword over his head, intent on dealing the killing blow._

 _Arbiter intercepted the hit, the enormous ax causing the devil to stagger back-leaving him wide open for retribution._

 _"Alright Mr. Warrior, my turn!"_

 _Dante relished the sudden energy that coursed through his veins, running through his opponent with the Claymore and following squarely with a sharp punch to the gut, courtesy of Eryx._

 _Before his opponent had a chance to recover, the hunter was on him again. Yanking him back into punching distance, Dante launched the still-dazed demon into the air with a fully charged uppercut before slamming him back down to the ground with Ophion and sucker punching him with the re-equipped gauntlets. Mundus's general was sent flying towards the nearby wall, much to a grinning Dante's satisfaction._

 _"Not so high and mighty now, are ya?" He asked, flicking some of dark-colored blood from the now-reshaped Rebellion with a quick swing._

 _A roaring crackle of lightning came shortly in response, which the Son of Sparda promptly dodged to the side without relenting his smirk._

 _That was when the room began to shake as if an earthquake had struck; Limbo growing more aggravated by the calamity._

 ** _"So you've managed to wound me…and using my brethren's weapon no less…"_**

 _Alastor's thundering footsteps echoed loudly around him as he resurfaced from the dust. The damage that the hunter managed to inflict on was already healing until he was flawless once more mere seconds later._

 _"That can't be good…" Dante muttered to himself, wishing he had savored that last breath as soon as the first punch landed._

 _The pain that coursed throughout his being was indescribable as what felt like hundreds of electrified blows connected with him all at once._

 _Soon, Dante's body became numb, his healing factor overstressed to the point of ineffectiveness. All he remembered was his difficulty to breathe, his knees giving up on his shaking figure, and vomiting a generous amount of blood._

 _He hadn't felt this way since childhood….so utterly powerless, so utterly screwed. And there was nothing he could do about it._

 _He felt it then. The change beginning._

 _It began with a sudden burst of energy that allowed him to force himself off the ground-not like when he took a Golden Orb, no, that required for his heart to stop beating-and as the bleeding began to slow and his bones mended, the hybrid saw the physical effects etching themselves into his skin._

 _His breath was in pants as he glanced up at his opponent with a predatory air. The pain was all but gone now, the only thing coursing through him was rage. Pure, unadulterated rage._

 _Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as he was stopped mid-transformation by the thunder devil effortlessly neck-lifting him off the ground with his claws. Dante felt limp before the last of the cracks disappeared from his face._

 _Next thing he knew, the demon had slammed him back to floor, stomping his foot on the hybrid's still-healing chest, piercing his flesh with his talons and looking down on him as the labored breathing returned._

 _He knew at this point that his ribs were probably broken and mangled; he didn't even want to think of the rest of his internal organs that must have been damaged from the brutal assault he took._

 _Weakly, Dante glanced at the hellish scenery before them as it now began eating away at the structure's insides._

 ** _"As I suspected, your lack of skill and swordsmanship proved to be your downfall."_** _The demon lord commented, though his opponent could barely make out what he was saying at this point. **"You are not fit to carry Sparda's sword, let alone his blood."**_

 _"Hehe…that…so…?" he managed to croak out, already knowing what was in store for him. He could in no way save himself this time, his body was not healing at a fast enough rate. He doubted even the Vital Star in his pocket would amount to much given the circumstance, but it might just save him while in his decent._

 _After all, it was a long, long way down._

 _Deciding to take the gamble, Dante spat blood at the Lord of Lightning, his last defiance before disappearing into the abyss below._

 **...**

The chirping of nearby birds was enough to bring back Sparda's son to the waking world once more, not like he needed much of an incentive to do so anyways.

It took him a few seconds to remember where he had last stopped: a quiet, tranquil woodland area far away from the eyes of the government and the ruins of his "borrowed" apartment. The sun was shining, the air was a refreshing equalizer, yet Dante couldn't surpass the shudder tickling his spine.

Instinctually he flexed his fingers, scooping up a handful of dirt as he did so. He let out a sigh then, though not of relief as was customary after these exhausting events. This was more haggard, resigned. Sleep had taken a backseat, again.

 ** _"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE US."_**

He knew fully well that was just his physic playing tricks on him, albeit with a new tactic, but in a way, he knew that omen held some grain of truth to it.

No matter how well he hid or how fast he ran, Hell would hunt him until the last drop of his blood was spilled. That was the price of being a child of two worlds.

"Great," he muttered in annoyance, "last thing I need right now is for my problems to start knocking."

His thoughts turned to Alastor. He knew if he wanted to, the demon lord could just waltz up and end him right then and there, and the hunter would've literally never known what'd hit him.

He just wasn't ready, and he doubted he would be by the time that thing arrived here.

Heh, so that's what it felt like….he was used to everything being a cakewalk.

Then again, he was usually fighting against demons more concerned with keeping up a masquerade and peddling their lies to the oblivious public.

 _'Of course it'd be easy…'_

The swordsman sighed, reaching towards the green, military-style jacket as he got to his feet, dusting the dirt off his denims; surprisingly, they more or less fitted him.

It's amazing how much crap people carelessly abandoned when they left those apartments. Though not really his taste, beggars couldn't be choosers now could they?

Unless he found a way to get rid of that general, Tokyo would be screwed if he really did show up with Hell at his heels. Never mind the fact that these people could barely defend themselves against those giant monsters that kept showing up, if demons came into the picture now….

A started gasp ended whatever hypothetical fate his mind thought up.

Standing just a few feet away was the trembling form of the boy from that underground military base.

He wore the same attire as that day, though the dress shirt was wrinkled and looked somewhat unclean. Come to think of it, the kid looked like he hadn't slept for days now…

 _'Runaway,'_ the man concluded, _'otherwise, he wouldn't have winded up so off the beaten path on his leisurely stroll…'_

He relaxed, realizing his hands were instinctually headed towards the grips of his guns, and slowly stretched out his gloved hand as a sign of amity-all while mentally cursing the language barrier between them.

The boy clearly didn't see it as such, flinching the second he saw movement before tripping on himself and dropping whatever he was carrying; widened eyes unable to look away like a deer caught in headlights.

"Look, I'm not ganna…." Dante stopped himself, one because he knew the kid wouldn't understand a word he said, and two, because he was getting even _more_ freaked out if that were possible. An uncomfortable silence fell between them, interrupted by something neither of them expected.

"Damn it," the hunter cursed under his breath, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably, "forgot I skipped out on finding breakfast…"

Glancing back to the boy, the hybrid could see that unforeseen event caused him to stop his shaking for the most part, though he still watched him with what he assumed was a guarded posture. Then, slowly, he picked himself off the dirt without taking his eyes off him.

With the same sluggish motion he reached into the takeout bag he had dropped and produced a small wrapped package from within, placing it as close to Dante as he would allow himself before stepping back.

 _"G…Gomen!"_ he gave a quick bow with the uttering and left the slightly dazed Dante, soon disappearing from sight.

"Umm….thanks, I think?" he let out a sigh, walking over to retrieve the bundle from the ground. While he was having second thoughts about it, his thoughts turned to something his mother would-or at least he imagined she would-say in a time like this and approached the offering with an open mind.

"In that case, when in Japan, you eat like the Japanese do."

As he was about to turn towards the stump however, something else on the ground caught his attention. A battered black and greyish MP3 player. Upon closer examination, the demon hunter noticed writing on a piece of tape attached to the device, but couldn't make out what it said.

He had the capability of catching up to the boy and returning the device effortlessly, but something told him he'd just make things worse if he tried it. He would hang on to it, for now at least.

Returning to the tree, Dante placed both ear buds on and began unwrapping the offering given to him, unaware that the forest had become absolutely still.

 **…..**

To say Misato was stressed would be a major understatement. Sighing, she hung up the phone, hesitant on downing her final beer.

She didn't blame him-quite the opposite in fact-a part of her was actually _glad_ Shinji was able to escape from the pain and responsibility being forced on him, to say nothing of the metal monstrosity that brought him nothing but pain.

Still, that did little to wane the growing anxiety within her chest. It would seem both that and her amounted guilt were attacking the woman simultaneously, reminding her fully well that _she_ was partly to blame for this happening.

She had been a hair away from slapping him-not only had he disobeyed direct orders, his reckless show of bravado could have coasted him his life, and his passengers. While that did piss her off, that wasn't what made her anger skyrocket and possessed her to lift the boy by the shirt.

He _didn't_ _care_. That simple fact caused her blood to boil. It didn't matter to him whether he lived or died piloting that thing, as long as he did what he was told and his father noticed it, he didn't mind…

In the end, she composed herself, quietly sending Shinji home while she remained in the locker-room, still shaking with rage.

And then she realized it. It wasn't the boy she was angry at.

She was practically looking into a mirror… _she_ had been where he is now: desperately longing for the approval of someone who was too busy with his work to notice or care…until she began to emulate that indifference herself.

She gave herself a well-deserved slap before retiring herself to her office, praying that burying herself with work would push the event away.

That was three days ago, and the urge to smack herself again only gotten worse if anything.

Her thoughts shifted towards Shinji's two classmates, Aida and Suzuhara, who came looking for him in the morning, apologizing profoundly for getting involved during the latest Angel attack.

And she felt just as bad when not having the guts to tell them the truth.

Not knowing what to say, she smiled and lied, telling them that their friend had been busy with NERV-related activities and sent them on their way. It wouldn't be long until they saw through it though, and if she were to be truthful, that petty excuse was more or less all she had at the moment.

"They're only kids," she mumbled to herself, frowning as she returned to her original train of thought, "it's inhuman to force them to carry humanity's future like this…but why? Why exactly _just_ kids?"

"We have no choice." came the unexpected reply, though the woman wasn't so startled. Ritsuko had, after all, a tendency to do these things. "They're the only ones that can pilot the EVAs."

She turned to find the blonde standing at her doorway with two mugs of what NERV tried to label as coffee; if she was drinking that disgusting junk, she must've been on her wits end.

"Long day?" the Captain asked as she accepted the mug, ignoring her predictable cold response, she had a feeling that was all she was getting from her, for now at least.

She nodded slowly with a sigh, "Now all we need is for Rei to do a quick sync test with Unit-00 and she'll be ready to resume active duty."

Misato gave a thumbs up, hiding the panic that was slowly crawling across her spine. Unit-00's overall performance was significantly lower than that of Unit-01's, and even then, NERV was placing their hopes on prototypes.

Now with Shinji gone Unit-01 was definitely out, and the likelihood of survival took a nosedive.

 _'Never mind that it wasn't even that high to begin with…'_ she grumbled internally, stopping herself from drinking the dark liquid, opting to nurse the cup if only for the warmth.

"So, has Shinji made contact?" Ritsuko asked, curiously looking at the surprisingly neat desk; it seemed this was getting to her more than she wanted to admit.

The dark haired woman shook her head in response. "He's not coming back, Rits…"

"I figured that, so what are you going to do about it?"

"It's not like I can do much here." she admitted with a sigh, "If he's not going to come back, that's that. If all EVA will bring him is pain, he shouldn't set foot in it. I'm not going to force him to either."

"I see." The doctor nodded after a moment of silence, sipping from her mug stoically, "Then so be it, if Shinji chooses to have a relatively normal life away from NERV, he has every right. We've already got a spare on the way."

Misato blinked, slightly being taken aback by the statement. "Wait, what are you talking about? Shinji _was_ our spare, we don't-wait, you're thinking about the Second?" a small grin flashed across her features. "Good luck convincing her to part with her own EVA for more than a day."

"It wasn't easy," her friend admitted with a sigh, "but the Second Child is actually en route to Tokyo-3 as we speak, all that's left is to reconfigure Unit-01 and test the waters."

The sudden sound of glass breaking caused her attention to zero in on the room's other occupant.

Steam practically rose from the raging woman's ears as she whipped around to face Ritsuko, who was mentally smirking at the sight of the Captain trying to form a coherent sentence.

"And yes, before you ask, Kaji's accompanying her." She added, causing an enormous vein to pop on Misato's forehead. "Look, I know you've already got enough stress with-"

"Why the hell wasn't I informed about any of this, exactly?" she demanded with a raised brow.

"You _would_ have been, had you not isolated yourself in your office." The blonde replied dryly, only worsening the woman's mood further.

"Would it have killed you to leave a note at least," Misato muttered in a mixture of annoyance and ire, "So let me guess, everything about his being here is, naturally, classified, isn't it?"

"Some, not all. Like it or not, we need him here for an indefinite amount of time."

"Any PARTICULAR reason, besides, ya know, making my life more hectic than it already is?"

"Oh no special reason, Commander Ikari just thought that he'd make a perfect playmate for Lucifer." She replied with a lace of sarcasm, "after all, it's going to need someone to talk to while it's under our custody…."

The response caused Misato to freeze, whatever insult or remark she had died at the tip of her tongue. "Just what in the world happened while I was out of it?!"

 **….**

"The Third has now officially become expendable then?" The Vice-Commander frowned, this was becoming more complicated than necessary.

"Unless the Second Child is rejected during the synchronization test, Section 2 will continue to monitor his every move."

He let out a sigh at the response, knowing fully well that it'd be pointless to argue about the resources they were wasting. This was Gendo Ikari he was speaking to; the man would move mountains if it meant having his plan foolproof.

So he did the only thing he could do and agreed, "Kyoko's daughter has shown exceptional prowess within Unit-02, she may end up being more of an asset than your son." The man did not respond to that, allowing Fuyutsuki to continue his train of thought. "That being said, I think we can both agree that isn't our most pressing issue at the moment…"

"He is here," Gendo replied, nodding slowly as if reading his mind, "The JSSDF have just finished transporting him to the containment unit."

The older man clearly wasn't expecting this sudden turn of events, letting a bewildered expression adorn his features as his urge to indulge in his pastime of _Shogi_ suddenly left him.

"So that's it then," he mused, more to himself than to his former student, "the being that The Scrolls dubbed Lucifer, who carries with him the strength of giants, has been pacified by the armies of Man. Why that sounds more like…a miracle."

The head of NERV grunted in reply, his mind working with constants and variables he needed to adjust as the other man shook his head. "If anything, this will only make the old men more anxious…" a smirk appeared, hidden beneath his folded hands. "We can use this to our advantage."

"You mean to tell me you plan on manipulating something of that caliber? You know as well as I do that it's only humoring us, Ikari. We are deluding ourselves thinking we have any power over him."

"When you play with fire, there is always the risk of getting burned," Gendo countered evenly, "He wouldn't dare do it, however."

"Always absolutes with you, isn't it?" the older man muttered, letting out a cold chuckle.

"According to the reports, Lucifer has been anything but hostile with any human he's come in contact with. Case in point, he offered no resistance when apprehended and makes no effort to escape as we speak. This much, I know is certain." He paused, not even bothering to look at Fuyutsuki, "And yet, you're still afraid."

"It's human nature isn't it," he countered "to be wary of what you cannot comprehend, no matter how benign it may appear?"

"So it is…." He agreed in a somewhat reluctant tone. "Be that as it may, if we can sway this to our advantage, we've gained a powerful leverage against SEELE, and the capabilities of the pilots is all but rendered obsolete."

 **...**

 **A/N: Yeah, I took a little longer with this one, and admittedly I got lazy with the title...I wanted to get at least a halfway decent fight scene in there. I know I have a long way to go towards honing them, but let me know your thoughts regardless, maybe a couple of tips wouldn't hurt either.**

 **Originally, I was going to make the "Boss" demons Dante would face similar to the ones in the Reboot, but then I thought to myself, "Hmm…what would happen if this Dante actually ran into demons that were more fighters than anything else?" Thus, the idea of bringing Alastor (In his Underworld Emperor Alastor form** **from Viewtiful Joe) popped into my head. Expect some familiar faces and references to past Devil May Cry games to come up from time to time with a few twists here and there.**

 **Anyways, thanks for stopping by folks, I'll see you in the next update**


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